Asus blames lack of Linux Eee PCs on Atom hold-ups

Windows XP version less popular

Asus has blamed Intel not Microsoft for the apparent absence of the Atom-based Eee PC 901 from UK suppliers' shelves.

Readers alerted us to the fact that while Windows XP-loaded 901's are available to buy from British resellers, there's a paucity of the Linux version. It'll be available in late July, suppliers say.

That has led some would-be buyers to suspect pressure applied to Asus by the hand of the Beast of Redmond, but Asus UK spokeswoman Helen Ling pointed the finger at Intel.

All manufacturers, she said, are experiencing delays in shipments of Atom CPUs from the chip giant, impacting orders both large and small, no matter what volumes were previously promised.

The upshot: shipments to the UK are limited. Ling claimed the first shipment of the new Eees to the UK has sold out, and the company is awaiting a second shipment later this month - hence, we'd say, the "late July" arrival mentioned by retailers.

Ling said the company has asked for more product, but it's unlikely to get it until Intel really turns on the tap and a lot more Atoms flow out.

Asus produces Linux and XP Eees in equal numbers, she claimed, and will continue to do so: the Linux Eees are the better selling models. "We think our version of Linux is how we will stand out from our competitors," she said.

That may explain why there aren't any now: they've been sold, leaving only the less popular XP models still available to buy.